mere

¹ American  

[meer] / mɪər /

adjective

superlative

merest

1. being nothing more nor better than.

   a mere pittance;

   He is still a mere child.

2. Obsolete.

   1. pure and unmixed, as wine, a people, or a language.

   2. fully as much as what is specified; completely fulfilled or developed; absolute.

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mère ² American  

[mer, mair] / mɛr, mɛər /

noun

French.

plural

mères

1. mother.

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-mere ³ American  

1. a combining form meaning “part,” used in the formation of compound words.

   blastomere.

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mere ⁴ American  

[meer] / mɪər /

noun

1. Chiefly British Dialect. a lake or pond.

2. Obsolete. any body of sea water.

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mere ⁵ American  

[meer] / mɪər /

Or mear

noun

British Dialect.

1. a boundary or boundary marker.

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-mere ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating a part or division

   blastomere

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mere ² British  

/ mɪə /

adjective

1. being nothing more than something specified

   she is a mere child

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mere ³ British  

/ ˈmɛrɪ /

noun

1. a short flat striking weapon

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mere ⁴ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic a lake or marsh

2. obsolete the sea or an inlet of it

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mere ⁵ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic a boundary or boundary marker

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–mere Scientific  

1. A suffix meaning “part” or “segment,” as in blastomere, one of the cells that form a blastula.

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Usage

What does -mere mean? The combining form -mere is used like a suffix meaning “part.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology and anatomy.The form -mere comes from Greek méros, meaning “part” or “portion.” From this same source, we also get the combining forms -mer and -merous. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use entries for both forms.

Related Words

Mere, bare imply a scant sufficiency. They are often interchangeable, but mere frequently means no more than (enough). Bare suggests scarcely as much as (enough). Thus a mere livelihood means enough to live on but no more; a bare livelihood means scarcely enough to live on.

Other Word Forms

• -meric combining form

Etymology

Origin of mere¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English mer(e) “pure, clear, unmixed,” from Old French mier, mer, from Latin merus “pure, unmixed, simple, mere”

Origin of -mere¹

Combining form representing Greek méros

Origin of mere¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English mere, mer, meire, Old English mer, mære “sea, ocean, lake, pond, well, cistern,” cognate with German Meer, Old Norse marr, Gothic marei, Old Irish muir, Latin mare

Origin of mere¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English mere, mer, merre, Old English mǣre, gemǣre; cognate with Old Norse mæri “boundary, border land”; akin to Latin mūrus “defensive wall, city wall, boundary wall”

Example Sentences

For a mere $20 it was a no-brainer to bring to a casual dinner with friends, where this pleasingly easy-drinking sparkler proved to be a big hit.

From The Wall Street Journal

In private conversations, researchers whispered about which lab might be the first to build AI “superintelligence” that is smarter than mere humans—and whether they were in the middle of one humongous bubble.

From The Wall Street Journal

That honor goes to Tim Cook, who, when he became CEO, presided over a company with a mere $350 billion in market capitalization.

From Barron's

Chairwoman Louisa Munton said his actions "could not be reasonably considered as trivial, inconsequential or a mere temporary lapse" and constituted "unacceptable professional conduct and or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute".

From BBC

There’s a formal edginess to the work that lifts it above a mere proclamation of solidarity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bare
• minor
• pure
• sheer
• simple